vance



Nov. 6, 1923.

W. N. VANCE METAL SHELVING Filed Aug. 15. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ncfir. 6, 1923 1,473,064 v w. N. VANCE I METAL SHELVING Filed Aug. 15, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 6, 1923.

PATENT .QEFLFHZE;

WALTER -1\T. warren, or CHICAGO HEIGHTS, rLLI-Nors, Assrsrron ro nuRANn STEEL LOCKER COMPANY, or-smarter), ILLINOIS, A oonronarronor ILLINOIS.

METAL SHELVING.

Application filed August 15, v1319. Serial 110. 317,6 18.

To aZZ whom it Quay concern Be it known that I, lVAnrnn N. VANon a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago Heights, .infthe. county of Gook and State of Illinois, 'have invented .a newiand useful Improvement in Metal Shelving, of which the folloivingis a specification.

This invention relates in general to metal shelving and has .more particular reference to certain improvements adapted to stiffen and reinforce the material of the shelving V to the end that relatively light material may beused to-provide ashelf of unusually .high w igh t ring capac y and th n t-1 appreciable deflection in the structure.

A principal object ofgthe invention .is the attainment of this end and this without requiring the addition of any metal parts .or the performance ,of expensive mechanical operations.

Another in1 p0rtant. object of the invention is the provision ofa newand improvedshelf divider particularlyadapted to partition .off parts of the space .prov i ded by theshelves, which .will require to be secu'red'to only a single shelf and yet be strong and rigid in use. i

1 Numerous other important objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent as .it'is better understood from the follow ingdescription vwhen considered in connection .wi thQ -he accolnpanying drawing illuscrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

R fe i g to h d ings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partof a.s y. emiof shelvesiembodying my present v t qn;

-Fig. 2 is a partial transverse sectional view thereof on an-.enlargedscale r is apartial detail ofone of the fron te a wsar r Fig. t is a partial horizontal .sectiontaken tr ugh a P or upr ght;

' .i aiu tlie l-ds ai nerspeetire. how 11 end of one .of the tront to back heater-tweed Fig. 6 1s atransverse sect on through a shel .d ride j air E h ra seie i t e emyter is th a we so tie cites imie asserihlag efshfres whiqh resent ie iir iehts ill, iren ztow ask supports of bearers 12, front and ,back earer -1.3 helfinem srior par 14 and For consists of the uprightsand the bearers 12 and .13 which maybe constructed and assembled .W1ll new be described. The uprights 11, preferably consists of a single areassembled and to this end the slots on openings 17 are provided .inthe faces of the tubeadj acent the face from Whichthe or edges 16 extend.

Each of the slots 17 in the present instance isof key-hole formation having two taper-- ing parts 18 and 19 and .a larger top part :21. .The front and back hearers, an end of which is shown in Fig. 5, areo frelatively heavier metal and of rectangular cross-section. Adjacent each end .the bearer 13 is provided'with vertical or transverse slots 22 adapted to enter through the parts 19 of the -slots l7 .and be wedged tightly in the parts 18 of saidslot.

The fI'OIIfi-tO-bZLCk bearers are preferably of rolled angle iron construction, one flange being cutaway at. an end to provides tongue '24: and the other flange "25 therebeneath being slotted at 26. lVhen assembled the hang-e25 constitutes a vertical flange and the flange 23 I a horizontal flange.

.The structure is assembled by inserting the ends of'the front and back bearers in the slots 17, moving these ends down until theyarewvedged in the bottom parts 18 of the slots .andjthen inserting the heads or tongues 24 of the cross supports through the? ppe part 2107 the s me l t and moving the cross-supports down so that :the pen ng 2 are tered y t red c re -t th fro t -,a11d :back ea rs, th r as o t e .1 ..1i 2 l @-g in th repe i ir dslqtted .PartSl 'arQa 11 wedged i htlytog the j 44. This construction provides a bent again on the lines 33 to provide inwardl extending flange parts or extremities 34. he shelves are bent at the ends, 1. e., the edges extending from front-to-back on lines of bend 35 to provide downwardly extending flange parts 36 and these flange parts engage struck out lips 37 provided for the purpose in the vertical part 25 of the front-to-back bearers- The shelf is supported thus at its ends upon these lips and along its sides on the front and back bearers 13, the flange parts 34 returning to adjacent or even in contact with said front-to-back bearers.

In order that the structure may be stiffened and reinforced, I distort the maerial of the sheet metal parts at their lines of bend and do this by pressing inwardly the material at intervals to form small integral gussets. These depressions are V- shape and may be readily seen by comparing Fi s. 2 and 4, said depressions or gus sets being indicated by reference character 38. These depressions are thus provided at the four bends in the tubes and on the lines of bend 31, 33 and 35 already mentioned.

I have found that by so depressing or d1storting the material I greatly increase the stiffness, rigidity and resistance to'deflecting forces.

In addition I have provided shelf dividers of new and improved form. Each of these shelf dividers, indicated at 15, consists of a single sheet of metal of suitable gauge bent to triangular form and having the edges 41 disposed at the center of the base side. Between these edges I insert short fastening bolts or other devices 42, the threaded stems of which may be inserted through perforations 43 arranged at intervals in the shelf and thereto secured'by'nuts shelf divider of tapering form which need only be fastened at its base.

It is thought that theinvention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a sheet metal shelving a member having a relatively long edge subjected to bending strains transverse its length, a flanged part extending in the line of the edge and resisting the bending strain, the material at the line of bend being distorted at intervals to stiffen said edge and present sagging thereof. 2. A "shelf. member supported adjacent its edges and having a relatively long down turned stiffening edge flange and spaced indentations at the line of bend to reinforce rectangular form, the material of said tube. being distorted at intervals on the line of bend to reinforce and stiffen the construction.

5. A metal shelving comprising, frame parts formed of a sheet bent to tubular form, of angular cross-section, the material at the angles being distorted at intervals to stiffen the construction.

6. A metal shelving comprising, frameparts formed of a sheet bent to tubular form of angular cross-section, the material of the tubes at the angles being pressed inwardly at intervals.

7. Sheet metal shelving, comprising a shelf part having an edge flange bent down from the plane of the shelf and therebeneath bent again into parallelism with the body of the shelf, the last mentioned line of bend being distorted tostiffen the shelf.

8. Sheet metal shelving, comprising a shelf part having an edge'flange bent down from the plane of the shelf and therebeneath bent again into parallelism with the body of the shelf, the last mentioned line of bend being pressed inwardly at intervals'to stiffen the shelf.

9. Sheet metal shelving, comprising a shelf part having an edge flangebent down from the plane of the shelf and therebeneath bent again into parallelism with the body Y of the shelf, both the mentioned lines of bend being distorted to stiffen the shelf.

10. Sheet metal shelving, comprising a shelf part having an edge flange bentdown from the plane of the shelf and therebeneath bent again into parallelism with the body of the shelf, both the mentioned lines of bend being pressed inwardly at intervals to stiffen the shelf. I

11. Sheet metal shelving, comprising shelf parts having surrounding marginal flanges bent from the plane of the shelf and pressed inwardly at intervals at the line of bend to stiffen the shelf. 4

12. Sheet. metal shelving, comprisin shelf parts having surrounding margina flanges bent from the plane of the shelf and pressed inwardly at intervals to stiffen the shelf, and supports for said shelves engag ing' said flanges.

13. Sheet metal shelving, comprising therefor, a shelf divider comprising a metal sheet bent to triangular form and having a base formed of separated flanges of said sheet, and devices adapted to extend be tween said flanges in said base and perforations of said shelf to secure said divider in place.

14. Sheet metal shelving, comprising perforated shelf members and shelf dividers, said shelf dividers each comprising a metal sheet bent to triangular form and with its edges disposed intermediate the base side thereof, and fastening devices removably engaging said edges and adapted to extend through the perforations of the shelf members.

15. A sheet metal shelf divider of substantially equilateral triangular form, the base of said divider being formed of spaced flanges resting upon a shelf and providing 2 a space for fastening devices therebetween.

WALTER N. VANCE. 

